Getting Trumped: What Businesses Can Learn From The Donald's Run for President

With Donald Trump quotes blanketing the media these days, businesses should wonder what they can learn from his unique style. Whether you love him or hate him, you have to admire the progress he has made, and a large part of that success boils down to marketing skills. He is not running on a strong political platform or years of experience in public service. It is pure business savvy and the brand building prowess that has gotten him to the top of the Republican ladder. Are you looking to enhance your marketing skills? If so, look closer at The Donald’s run for president.

There is No Such Thing as a Bad Social Media Presence

Donald is trending on almost every major social media platform. He may be the candidate everyone loves to hate, but they are still talking about him. Put simply, Trump makes a connection via social media networks like Facebook and Twitter. Not everything he says is well-received, but most of it does go viral.

Look at his performance compared to other GOP candidates. Marketing Land states that Jeb Bush managed to harness only 248,000 followers on Facebook. Trump’s antics got him over 3 million – that is 3 million people seeing his name on their newsfeed daily.

Overall, Trump has landed nearly 10 times more followers than any other GOP front-runner. He maintains a steady stream of followers on all the major networks. Even if they hate him, he has made a connection that could potentially turn into a conversion over time.

The Marketing Takeaway: Social media is the fastest and most efficient way to get and convert leads. Businesses should not be afraid to be bold on Facebook and Twitter in order to get their brand noticed.

The Donald Believes in The Donald

There is power in knowing your brand and believing in it. He may not have a strong political background, but understands his business mind and where it has gotten him over the years. He knows it well enough to sell it to millions of people around the country. He is able to focus on himself, so they pay less attention to his politics or lack of them.

The Marketing Takeaway: Make your brand stand for something, even it is not right on point. If you are consistent with your belief, that faith will be contagious.

It is All About Timing

Is this the first time Donald Trump has considered running for office? Probably not, but he took the temperature of voters and decided this was the right time to go for the top spot.

Historically speaking, a candidate with no political background rarely runs for president -- or not this successfully, at least. Trump built his campaign around everything making people unhappy right now, like taxes and immigration. The fact that he is self-funded at this specific time in history is not a coincidence, either. He doesn’t let himself get baited into talking about stuff that doesn’t matter to his audience.

The Marketing Takeaway: Know your audience. Trump doesn’t pay much attention to whether people love or hate him in general. He stays focused on a specific set of voters and ignores the rest.

Don’t Apologize for Being Different

Trump is audacious and inflammatory, but rarely apologetic. He knows that his personality is what stands out. He expands on that idea by making comments about war heroes and Mexican immigrants because it creates a buzz. He perpetuates that buzz by refusing to apologize or make retractions.

The Marketing Takeaway: If you dare to be bold with your products or campaigns, don’t back down. Retraction means one thing in the public eye: You made a mistake – one that will likely haunt you. That is not the message you want your business to send.

Will Donald Trump be the next president? Who knows, but one thing is clear: He is making history with his eclectic marketing strategies. Even if he doesn’t go all the way to the Oval Office, people are not going to forget his name or style. That inimitable effort is something businesses and marketing agencies can put to good use in their own campaigns.

What can you learn for the presidential campaign of Donald Trump? Get some marketing tips from The Donald.